Above the Line Education Forum Participants
Anthony Tackett (he/him)
Anthony Tackett has worked 23 years as a storyteller and filmmaker for a number of organizations locally and internationally. His company Abstract Media focuses on uplifting and empowering people to help them realize their vision and brand in media. His work allowed him to fulfill his lifelong dream to travel the world; with his camera.…
CB Shamah (he/him)
Nesib CB Shamah is a Louisiana born, multiracial producer/director living in Seattle, WA and was the recipient of the 2019 Seattle Mayor’s Award for Achievement in Film. Wile leading the reopening of the historic Columbia City Theater music venue, he produced and directed live music shoots and promotional content, the music web series DESTINATION UNKNOWN…
Champ Ensminger (he/him)
Champ is a Thai American filmmaker born in Chiang Mai, Thailand and raised in Spokane. After graduating from the University of Washington in Seattle, he moved to New York City where he worked at the video hosting site Vimeo and then as production support for the agency m ss ng p eces. His experience on…
Devyn Pedrano (he/him)
Devyn Pedrano-Snow (he/him) is a creative veteran and a multi-passionate individual in film and music. Born in Renton, Washington, he dedicated six years to theU.S. Air Force after high school and finished with an honorable discharge to pursue his creative ventures. Devyn studied music production/audio engineering at Icon Collective in Burbank, California and currently studying…
Ezra Asfaw (he/him)
Hello, my name is Ezra Asfaw, a Seattle native and first-generation Ethiopian. In 2019, I graduated from UW with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and soon after pursued a degree in Film Directing at MetFilm School in London, UK. There, I worked on various film projects and directed and wrote my debut short film, “Out…
Jeremiah Rounds (he/him)
Jeremiah Rounds, a transplant from Las Vegas, is a fairly recent addition to the Washington filmmaking scene. He is a multifaceted talent known for his roles as a director, producer, writer, as well as extensive experience in the art department. He has produced two films, “Behind the Card” and “Abductee,” and has also contributed to…
Lucas San Juan (he/him)
Lucas is a creative producer and director of documentaries and commercials. He is the son of a Cuban refugee, and grew up in New Hampshire, where he watched every movie he could get his hands on (by the age of 7, he was a devotee of the Alien series and science fiction classics). A lifelong…
Marcus Williams (he/him)
Marcus Williams is an entrepreneur with a variety of experience owning and operating businesses within wholesale/retail, healthcare, marketing, and consulting. He has served his community as the former Chair of the Des Moines Art Commission and sat on committees that selected the artwork for Sound Transit’s Light Rail stations. Since 2017, film production has become…
Nando Carter (he/him)
My name is Fernando Galarza Carter but I go by Nando Carter for short, and for the past 8years, my passion for filmmaking has driven me to bring to life the stories of underrepresented voices and my cultural heritage through the lens of cinema. My journey has led me to create short films that have…
Q Bell (he/him)
Q Bell is a writer/director born and raised in Seattle, WA. He credits the tragic losses of multiple childhood friends to gun violence and prison system for fueling his desire to tell stories across various genres that examine the complexities of the human condition. He loves to explore troubled souls who attempt to do the…
Ronnie Kabuika (he/him)
Ronnie kabuikais a celebrated filmmaker, director,and producer based in Seattle.Renowned in the cultural circles of the Congo, his country of origin, Africa, and Europe, his artisticjourney spans various domains, including plastic arts, visual arts, music and predominantly cinema, theart form he cherishes the most for encapsulating all others he has practiced.His diverse filmography includes short…
Ryan Abrahamson (he/him)
Ryan Abrahamson has a life long love affair with art and cinema. He interjects his American Indian culture motifs into every modern illustration, film and musical composition he creates.
Samuel Ebat (he/him)
Samuel is a PNW native who now lives in Tacoma, with his wife & son. He’s been working independently in video production for over a decade, shooting, directing & editing for companies large & small. He’s developed a keen respect for the production process, and finds it gratifying when he can see an idea through…
Sean Nguyen (he/him)
Sean Nguyen is a Seattle based Actor and Filmmaker. While studying at the University of Washington, he got his start in the theatre community with companies such as Pork Filled Productions and ReAct Theatreand subsequently transitioned into film. Having numerous shorts under his, he has slowly been expanding his reach by participating and screening in…
LexScope (human)
LexScope: Director, Festival Curator, Visionary Artist LexScope, an award-winning artist and film festival programmer, traces his artistic roots to NorthCarolina, with a transformative decade in Tacoma/Seattle shaping his multidisciplinary journey.Exploring life as a black man navigating the shadows of the American dream, LexScope is the creative force behind LexScope Productions, captivating audiences on Instagram, YouTube,…
Amanda Ebert (she/her)
Amanda Ebert (she/her/hers) is a Mount Vernon, WA-based multidisciplinary artist and entrepreneur who works in film & music, and co-founded Darcy BlueProductions with her partner on their family farm. Amanda serves on the Board of Directors of Women in Film Seattle, and works in the cinema tech department at SIFF for year-round programming and the…
Azra Alkan (she/her)
Azra Alkan, a Washington-based VFX professional, filmmaker, and Unreal Engine enthusiast, brings over a decade of industry experience to her work. She’s made her mark on major films like “Spider Man: Far From Home”, “Ant man and the Wasp”, “Gran Turismo” and popular TV series such as “StrangerThings”, “TheFlash.” Beyond post-production, Azra is an on…
Hanan Diriye (she/her)
BIO COMING SOON
Jasira Andrus (she/her)
Jasira Andrus is a Seattle based writer and director. A lifelong lover of film, Jasira has spent the past year taking a hands-on approach to learning the foundations of filmmaking, so she can create her own works. Through completing several education programs at Northwest Film Forum, Jasira was able to write and co-direct her first…
Kristine Ponten (she/her)
Kristine is a creative writer, director, and producer with a background in Special Education. She recently completed a year-long apprenticeship working forThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where she got to learn the nuts and bolts of various production departments for a broadcast television show during an Emmy-nominated season. She has additionally worked behind the…
LIVt (she/her)
Olivia Thomas (LIVt) is a multidisciplinary creative whose work ranges from music composition, toDirecting, video production, project management, branding, graphic design, and marketing. She is most known for abilities to soundly execute a creative story, organize and produce dynamic visuals, craft unique aesthetics, and successfully collaborate with others.
Melinda Raebyne (she/her)
Melinda Raebyne is an award winning Taiwanese American filmmaker who’s fascinated and inspired by the resiliency of the human spirit. Learning of other people’s journeys reinforces for her belief that in each of us there’s a hero’s story waiting to be told. A self-taught filmmaker, Melinda received most of her training as an actor on…
Misty Shipman (she/her)
Misty Shipman is an enrolled member of the Shoalwater Bay Tribe of Indians and a descendent of the Chinook Indian Tribe. She is a Pacific Northwestern filmmaker intent on sharing a femme,American Indian gaze that shifts the lens of power and frees the viewer from the reservation of the mind. Through visual sovereignty, she strives…
Morgan Dukes (she/her)
Morgan is a director, writer, and producer from Ypsilanti, Michigan. She found her love of storytelling as a child through performing in her school musicals. She then transitioned to stage managing and assistant directing for theater, which ultimately led her to film. She started her filmmaking journey in 2022 when she directed, produced, and co-wrote…
Nancy Pappas (she/her)
Nancy Pappas (she/her) is a Congolese American film + video producer, archival researcher, and film programmer based in Seattle. Her diverse upbringing fueled her interest in cultural studies, focusing on archival theory and third cinema. She has worked in various aspects of production for over a decade and has been programming Seattle International Film Festival’s…
Sherri Bylenga (she/her)
Sherri Bylenga is an artist, musician and filmmaker from Spokane, Washington. With a spirit for adventure, she has traveled throughout the United States and around the world-finding the diversity of the human experience inspiring! Sherri’s filmmaking career began in documentary including extreme sports (skiing, kayaking, rock climbing) and humanitarian pieces. She has worked in remote,…
Bri Torres (she/her/ella)
Brianna Torres is a Mexican and Cuban-American award winning filmmaker from the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. She is the Media Arts Programming Lead at the makerspace BARN Bainbridge where she also teaches film classes. Brianna is a floral designer and loves everything about plants, flowers and stones. Before moving from Los Angeles to the Pacific…
Shea Formanes (she/they)
Shea Formanes is a Filipino-American writer/filmmaker born and raised in New York City(specifically Queens), currently based in Seattle. Influenced by her love of coming-of-age stories, she writes and directs works that tackle themes of family, friendship, and generational trauma in marginalized, specifically BIPOC and LGBTQIA+, communities. A recent graduate of the University of Washington, her…
vee hua (they/them)
Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the Editor-in-Chief of REDEFINE, a Co-Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission, and until recently, the Interim Managing Editor of the…
Aaron Jin (any pronouns)
Aaron Jin is an independent filmmaker and actor. Currently, Aaron is in post-production for Gay Jesus with producer David Bradburn. On screen, Aaron can be seen in Wes Hurley’s Potato Dreams of America and in an upcoming Duplass Brothers Productions series. Outside of artist life, Aaron serves as Artist Trust’s board secretary and as a…